Australia Western Sahara Association
PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release – 21 October 2013
IMPACT FERTILISERS HALTS PHOSPHATE IMPORTS FROM OCCUPIED WESTERN SAHARA

The Australia Western Sahara Association welcomes the decision by Impact Fertilisers to halt importing phosphates from the occupied territories of Western Sahara.
Mr. Jim Mole, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Impact Fertilisers wrote on 21 October to  AWSA stating “Impact Fertilisers has not sourced phosphate rock from Western Sahara for a considerable period of time now…Additionally, we have no current plans to source product from this region in future.”
Cate Lewis, AWSA Vice-President said: “This is excellent news, although it would be even better if the company would undertake not to import this controversial phosphate until the conflict in Western Sahara is settled.”

AWSA has on multiple occasions drawn the attention of Impact Fertilisers to the illegal and unethical nature of their trade with Morocco in the phosphate from Western Sahara.
This is the second Australian importer of the conflict phosphate to put their imports on hold. Wesfarmers/CSBP have not imported for over two years now, after devising a new process which enables them to source their phosphate elsewhere.
“We now look to the third importer, Incitec Pivot”, Lewis continued. “It is their turn to follow suit and to do the right thing. “
These two companies have shown that superphosphate fertiliser can be made using phosphate rock from other sources. They have not let their farmers down, they have found another way to provide for their needs.
On 30 September this year The Swedish government pension fund, following advice from its Ethical Council, divested from Incitec Pivot Ltd as a result of its trade in phosphate from Western Sahara.

Further information: awsa.digipipes.com.au;  wsrw.org